Making changes in main.pack appear onto the game

[Sir Althfons]

Hi all
Well, I recently made several changes in the main.pack archive (located, as you know in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\empire total war\data)
through the PackFileManager_1-11b...and still I can't manage to get them onto the game when I load it.

I got the "unit_stats_land", "units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions", and I think "units" archives out of the pack, edited them and imported the edited version back into the pack, where the changes showed up properly, .... but down in the game---->Nothig. Absolutely nothing.

This keeps anoying me. Please, some good fellow, if anyone gave me any clue your aid shall be very apreciated.

[♔hammeredalways♔]

Hi Sir Althfons - it is always best to not edit the original ETW pack files, but to effectively clone, rename and edit them.

The tutorial in the link below is very helpful setting out how to do this

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=240051

[Sir Althfons]

Hi Sir Althfons - it is always best to not edit the original ETW pack files, but to effectively clone, rename and edit them.

The tutorial in the link below is very helpful setting out how to do this

http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=240051

Hello & Thank for replying.
Oh, I had saw it allready, but the thing I'm aiming to do is to enable the recruitment of an already existing unit by mine & some other factions. The tutorial focuses mainly on implementing new units, but should I make an adicional patch file or other stuff the like for that?

The unit is the euro_pikemen, which used to be available in vanilla empire in general for all the europeans, and were almost removed in TROM mod, which I'm using. That´s why I decided to try & edit main.pack archive. The fact is that archive is changed by the mod itself (is it odd?).

So thus, how should I proceed?

-But wait, I guess you'll advice me to actually implement them by doing that patch, is it ok(rep)? Well; I 'll try after I get some rest...

[Sir Althfons]

Oh, and I edited it in a copy of the main.pack called by some other name, should't it work? Is there need of also editing the files outside Empire_Apps/ Data folder, as I suspect?

[♔hammeredalways♔]

Hi Sir Althfons - no probs., if I can help then I will.

If you are playing/using the TROM mod then it would be easier to re-enable them in that Mod's data table.

You would probably find it easier to use DB editor
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=280329

Once loaded in the DB editor you will see that there are both tables with bolded and greyed out text, the greyed text tables are the unmodified ETW tables, the bolded ones are those which have been edited and renamed by a modder, in this instance they should be TROM.

I am assuming that in TROM they simply disabled the units

Just scroll down the tables and find the section units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions_tables, identify the TROM table (you will see at the very top of the screen it will say
DB editor - then list the table you are looking at then at the very end it will say someting like TROM_pack
To enable them simply find their entry and change the availablity from False to True.

Let me know if you need any further assistance or if anything is unclear

[Sir Althfons]

I'm taking your offer of advice, ♔hammeredalways♔; let's see if you Know this:what kind of archive extension are the unpached files from the pack. archives meant to be saved as for the pack. to accept them back and thus actually use them?

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Another issue- in the modified form of main.pack which TROM leaves, the lacking units have been deleted from the file, not just disallowed by the True/False method. I wish it had been so easy...
I'm just trying DB editor... it looks fine, I suppose I'll have to edit my lines roughly in there for it doesn't allow the export/import option.
The tip about color in the editor really helped! !, thanks !

[♔hammeredalways♔]

Hi Sir Althfons - re., TROM - I see

re., DB editor it is much more user friendly, if you have excel then try copying and pasting from DB editor to excel, make your edits then paste back to the editor - much simpler for mass edits

the simplest thing to do in this case would be

open the DB editor, scroll down to the table
units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions_tables\units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions

this is the greyed out vanilla patch2 table

then file - new units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions, a pop up will appear
add the new table name in this example I named mine siralfs_units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions

click the option to add to an existing pack file, TROM should appear (in my example I have used aum_dm.pack as i don't plat TROM, or have it installed)

click ok and you should have a new empty table

now open the vanilla (greyed out table)
units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions_tables\units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions

click select all, copy

then open the new empty table you created
siralfs_units_to_exclusive_faction_permissions

select paste

you can now delete the non pike unit entries, make sure they say True and save the table.

hopefully all is clear let me if everthing works ok

[Sir Althfons]

Well, I allready did as you said, it went pretty well, but now the inconvenience is that the archives I edited are shown with a padlock mark over them. I can see that means the game will continue to ignore editions.

Attachment 176915

Any idea how to solve this?

[♔hammeredalways♔]

could I ask you to zip and attach the locked file in your image

[Robert Rogers]

I'm having almost exactly the same trouble. I've edited my units_land and units_permissions to add the Ottoman organ gun to the British roster, but I'm also getting the locked image, and the gun's not showing up in my new game.

[Sir Althfons]

I think the problem is related to a feature of CA games when operating in Windows7, which is my current OS.
When editing files of Med II, it denies saving over the archives in that same folder, you have to save somewhere else & after delete the existing file and replace it with the edited one you just saved elsewhere.

Perhaps that's the failure; files need to be edited outside the empire folder and after pasted there...don't know for sure, I have to try.

Oh, I forgot to say, your explanations were very good, you'd make a good teacher, perhaps you actually are.

[Robert Rogers]

I've been trying that. Whenever I move it into the original folder, it becomes locked. Have you had any luck with it?

[Robert Rogers]

Managed to get the lock symbol off, but changes still not showing up in game. Any idea?

[Sir Althfons]

The next idea that comes to my mynd is that if it still ignores changes once unlocked, there are maybe other files that should be edited also.
Anyway, getting changes to make any effect in the game doesn't seem any easy; there's been much more people strugling this same dificulties, and I think they didn't actually get it. Just for instance: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...83#post9929383.

But the ones that made the mods must know how to do it, indeed. If we could get their advice...

[Robert Rogers]

... That would be great. I'm surprised that there aren't more people out there looking to do simple mods like these.

[Sir Althfons]

Robert Rogers:
Don't still know what to answer to that.

♔hammeredalways♔
I have one more question for you, please: have you actually got to take changes made by you in the main.pack into the Empire TW?

[♔hammeredalways♔]

Hi Sir Althfons - apologies customers, get in the way sometimes - and no I'm not a teacher just find it simpler from my own experience to see something visual, add to that on this site we have a wide variety of nationalities and ages - when people put up walls of text can seem a little daunting and possibley not representative of what you are seeing, but thanks

Hi Robert Rogers - I would highly suggest looking at and using the DB editor for table editing, where possible.

Both - I tend to have a folder outside of the ETW data directory where I make a copy of all the main game files, and make any edits. That way if I get anything wrong saves a lot of downloading via steam.

In terms of main.pack file edits, I don't touch any of the games base files, I simply clone them, edit and rename them.

One thing perhaps not apparent when adding Mod's the game obviously loads a series of original files as standard, to load a self made Mod you would generally have to tell the game to load it, this is done through adding a user.script, which is a basic text file created in notepad.

Now if you were to both graduate to the Darkside
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1126

you will find a new world of opportunties, if not then just post here and I will answer as I see the questions

[Robert Rogers]

I've got Dbeditor, but I'm not certain how to save the necessary files. Do I just save a new units_factions_permissions file to my data folder?

Btw, thanks for your help guys.

[Robert Rogers]

Hnnh... making a new unit that mimics the organ gun could actually save me a lot of time. I think I'll look for a tutorial on that...

[♔hammeredalways♔]

Hi Robert Rogers -

this is a good start point
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=238847

equally I always nose around in the NTW equivalent area, many of the processes/tools are the same/similar but the walkthrough how to do guides tend to be easier to follow.

Let me know what if any Mod's you are running?